WANSTEAD, England, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A British militant on death row in Pakistan wants to use Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's memoir to clear him in the death of a U.S. journalist.
Omar Sheik's attorney said he would use the memoir for a new appeal hearing, the Times of London reported Wednesday. He said the book exonerates Sheik, 32, originally from Wanstead, East London, of orchestrating the kidnap and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
Musharraf's book, "In the Line of Fire," began appearing as a series this week in the Times.
Musharraf apparently changed his mind about Sheikh's guilt, saying he believes the man responsible for Pearl's beheading was Khalid Sheik Mohammed, who masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the Times said. In his memoir, Musharraf said, "Only later did I realize that Omar Sheik had panicked because the situation had spiraled out of his control," the Times said.
The book concerned Pakistan's military, which asked the president not to disclose information about investigations into al-Qaida.
The book also concerned the White House, the CIA and the Indian government because it apparently contradicts earlier statements about Pakistan's attempts to combat the Taliban.
